Cryptocurrency Outlook: 4 Key Indicators it’s Here to Stay

Last Tuesday’s SEC decision to postpone a ruling on whether to approve the SolidX Bitcoin Shares ETF for trading on The Chicago Board Options Exchange is a good sign. Given previous SEC statements, the postponement appears to suggest that the U.S. regulatory agency wants to issue a well-thought-out approval ruling that protects cryptocurrency investors and nurtures innovators. I agree with the CBOE that "investors are better served by products traded on a regulated securities market and protected by robust securities laws.” And I would rather see the SEC make a methodical decision to approve a cryptocurrency ETF, with thoughtful guidelines than a rash decision to reject one.

Bitcoin’s Challenges and PromiseSince 2010, when it emerged as the first legitimate cryptocurrency, Bitcoin has been declared “dead” by pundits over 300 times. Critics have cited the cryptocurrency’s hair-raising price volatility; it’s scalability challenges, to handle a large volume of transactions as a payment method, or the improbability of a central bank ceding monetary control to a piece of pre-set software code. T he adoption of Bitcoin as an alternative to transacting by credit card or other payment methods is rising. After its release as open-source software in 2009, Bitcoin alone has facilitated over 300 million digital transactions, while hundreds of other cryptocurrencies have emerged, promising to disrupt a host of industries.

Granted, no more than 3.5% of households worldwide have adopted cryptocurrency as a payment method. But as developers and regulators resolve the following key issues, global cryptocurrency adoption will likely grow -- both as a consumer payment method, and through business-to-business integration, streamlining a variety of operations in the private and public sectors. The prospect of more widespread adoption explains why I think cryptocurrencies may continue to outperform other investment assets in the long term and improve how the world does business.

Four Key Reasons Why Cryptocurrency is Here to Stay:

1. An SEC-Approved Bitcoin ETF Can Boost Liquidity, Protect Consumers, and Nurture InnovatorsThough the SEC may not reach a final decision until next year on the proposed listing of SolidX Bitcoin Shares ETF, I think the agency will eventually approve what many experts say represents the best proposal for a cryptocurrency ETF. The proposal -- which requires a minimum investment of 25 Bitcoins, or USD 165,000 assuming a Bitcoin price of $6,500 -- seems to meet the SEC's criteria on valuation, liquidity, fraud protection/custody, and potential manipulation.

By boosting institutional investment, SEC approval would represent another milestone in the validation of cryptocurrencies. To reiterate, rising adoption could benefit the U.S. financial system and other financial systems worldwide, because cryptocurrency promises to create significant financial savings and societal benefits -- by streamlining how the world transacts for goods and services, updates mutual ledgers, executes contracts, and accesses records.